About Cussing Time...

It looks like the Criterion Collection is going to get their hands wet with animation…

That's right… Fantastic Mr. Fox will be the first animated feature film to get a Criterion Collection edition since Akira, which was released on LaserDisc way back in the mid 1990s. This edition will be released on February 18, 2014! Right around the corner!

Now, does this mean that Criterion will begin investing in other animated titles?

Back in 2010, Kevin T. Rodriguez of Examiner put together this excellent list of what titles that Criterion should give a release. It would give many obscure and hard-to-find animated films a chance to shine, and also gain new fans.

The Black Cauldron and Song of the South were listed, but these will probably never happen since Disney very rarely licenses their titles to other distributors. (A few of their live action titles were released by Anchor Bay on DVD in the early 2000s.)

The Thief and the Cobbler would be the Brazil of the animated Criterion Blu-rays, considering what that film went through and how many versions there are. The visually innovative Twice Upon a Time is criminally kept away from us, having only gotten a home video release once… In 1991. The Plague Dogs is always given the cheapo DVD treatment in the US, and every home video release of that film in the US (and even in its home country, the UK, until 2008) has the 86-minute version. The Secret of Kells got a great Blu-ray edition from Cinedigm months after this article was posted.

When The Wind Blows only got one VHS release here, and a few DVD releases in the UK. The Land Before Time would be interesting, if they track down Don Bluth's original cut or something close to it. (If it was ever finished and finalized before Steven Spielberg and George Lucas unusually forced him to water it down.) Coonskin is also ideal, along with some of Ralph Bakshi's other films that weren't as successful. The Point! is another good addition, being a particularly rare one.

But 10 isn't enough… There are tons and tons of animated films begging for a Criterion release or a release of that caliber…

Watership Down (also from the director of The Plague Dogs, Martin Rosen) never really got a great DVD release here, at least not to my knowledge. I have the 2008 "Deluxe Edition" DVD, but it had very few bonus features and nothing from a good 2005 DVD released only in Australia, which apparently contained an audio commentary from Rosen himself.

The UK's first feature-length animated film, Handling Ships, is a good candidate along with the 1954 Animal Farm. The former is tough, because it was really a training film requested by the British Admiralty that didn't get much of a release. The latter is doable, considering the source material and its status as one of the UK's first animated features.

Aside from The Thief and the Cobbler, Richard Williams' work deserves a set of its own, from his short films to his commercials. But of course we have Garrett Gilchrist restoring his work and making it readily available for animation fans, after all, it was his dedication that brought Cobbler into the limelight as he tracked down the work print and also put together his wonderful fan-edit, The Recobbled Cut.

What about The Adventures of Mark Twain? Will Vinton's stop motion animated film from 1985? A limited released back in the day, it needs to reach a wider audience.

Several anime films… There's a goldmine there!

There are also lots of interesting European productions from the Golden Age that could get some form of release as well.

Anyways, that's just some pipe dream stuff. Maybe this will be a one-time thing given the fact that Criterion has given many of Wes Anderson's films tip top treatment. Or maybe, just maybe, they'll finally mine the animation caves. Let's hope that happens!

By the way, that cover artwork is splendid. It fits the film better than the current Blu-ray edition's cover…

Yeesh…

August Animation Tidbits

More tidbits for ya...

Planes once again proves that animated films that don't have much adult appeal won't fare too, too well. Planes is unabashedly a children's film, so it didn't set the box office on fire over the weekend unlike something like Monsters University or Despicable Me 2. You know, animation that's both for kids and adults.

But others (such as are ever-so-accurate press) would lead you to believe that Turbo, The Smurfs 2 and Planes underperformed because there's "too much animation", implying that people are getting sick of feature animation... No, they are getting sick of bland animation and animation that's aimed at kids only... Plus, with all these films opening so close to each other, families got super-choosy. I hope this summer teaches distributors a lesson: Don't open so many animated films so close to each other. 2 or 3 is fine, but 5 or more? A big no-no.

Opening with a small $22 million, Planes already made Disney very happy since the film only cost $50 million to produce. Plus, it's bound to make a good amount overseas given some foreign locations they cover in this film. All I can say is... Ehhhhhhhhhh. Why oh why does the sequel have to be a theatrical release?

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DreamWorks, in a rather surprising move, pushed their highly anticipated How To Train Your Dragon 2 a week forward. The film is now set to open on June 13, 2014, but honestly... I can kind of see Kung Fu Panda 2 happening all over again. Sort of.

If you remember, Paramount and DreamWorks for some reason felt that the sequel to their 2008 blockbuster would put up a good fight against The Hangover Part II. But what happened? The teens and adults flocked to The Hangover Part II, leaving Kung Fu Panda 2 to rely on family audiences and those who have no interest in The Hangover franchise... The result was a very disappointing $47 million opening while The Hangover Part II took in $85 million for the weekend. Its opening was certainly no major take off, especially when you consider that its predecessor opened 3 years earlier with $60 million... Without 3D ticket prices!

What opens the same weekend as How To Train Your Dragon 2? 22 Jump Street...

Let's see... A sequel to a sleeper hit R-rated comedy? Need I say more?

How To Train Your Dragon 2's opening may not be spectacular unless Fox plays their cards right. The teaser for this was fabulous, unlike the lazy "staring contest" teaser for Kung Fu Panda 2. Its official trailer better deliver and make audiences want to see it opening weekend, because Kung Fu Panda 2's underwhelming trailers and marketing didn't succeed in doing that. Hopefully Fox's marketing shows audiences why they should definitely see DreamWorks' epic sequel to their very good film and make the audiences think, "Hmmm... Yeah I'll see that instead of 22 Jump Street!"

I mean, this is supposed to be a very big follow-up to the leggy original. The original was lucky to have many weeks all to itself, so that the incredibly strong word-of-mouth was able to help the film climb to $200 million at the domestic box office. This sequel underperforming and making less would be terrible, especially since it's supposed to be like the series' Empire Strikes Back. I wouldn't doubt that, because DreamWorks went the darker route for their sequel to Kung Fu Panda but yet the poor handled of that stalled it from doing better than its predecessor at the box office. Let's hope the same mistakes aren't made again with this sequel, because DreamWorks needs a big hit and I don't quite think Mr. Peabody & Sherman will be a box office bonanza.

But apparently Fox and DreamWorks are confident in this, so it's possible that the dragons may outwit the cops that summer weekend. Personally, I think these poor choices of release dates are what's are partially killing most animated films these days. (Bolt and Winnie the Pooh, anyone?)

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On the home media front, we got word of the postponed Tom and Jerry Golden Collection Volume 2 set. In case you didn't know, this series was meant to give us - the animation enthusiast - the complete, fully uncensored collection of the entire Tom and Jerry filmography from the Golden Age to the post-Hanna-Barbera films. Volume 1 delivered the goods and then some, everything on there was uncensored and there were even a couple lovely bonus features.

But this upcoming set is a disaster in the making. Warner Bros. legal department will not allow two particular Tom and Jerry cartoons to be released in any form. The problem is, both are supposed to be on Volume Two since the series is going in chronological order. Mouse Cleaning and Casanova Cat are the two shorts in question. The legal department want to avoid a PR nightmare, but they are hypocrites because Warner Bros. has released material that's just as offensive for general consumers, from the uncensored Looney Tunes collections to the uncensored Popeye sets to the first volume of this series... And they all have warnings saying that they're for the "adult collector", and they also give viewers an explanation of the content in these films: Again, some of the certain gags in these shorts are offensive, but censoring them out is just as offensive. They're a part of history. The first set and all their other adult-oriented cartoon collections from Warner make this very, very clear.

However, WB's legal department doesn't want these two particular shorts to see the light of day for some probably stupid reason, not even through the WB Archive, thus contradicting everything the other sets stood for. So we can't have those two shorts on an "adult collector" set, but yet we can have other offensive material. The legal department apparently thinks that we're children or something.

Let that all sink in for a minute...

PR nightmare, alright. They created a new one just by playing this game with us. We're adults, we know why these cartoons are the way are, so stop trying to hide them from us when you've released other equally offensive cartoons to general consumers, general consumers! Anyone who has seen Mouse Cleaning and Casanova Cat will tell you that they are no more offensive than The Milky Waif and The Truce Hurts, or any other Tom and Jerry cartoon with a blackface gag that's readily available uncensored in the US for general consumers. Warner Home Video really wants all of these pieces of history to be released, but no, the legal department has something against those two particular shorts...

Anyways, this pointless and unfair censorship lead to (much-deserved) backlash, and it's made the news, too! The set was then postponed, though a December 17th date somehow got out there. Jerry Beck (in case you don't know, he's a great animation historian and has worked on many of these sets, including this one) appeared on Stu's Show not too long ago. The set was brought up and he outright confirmed that WB's legal department is giving Warner Home Video trouble, and they're not going to let those two cartoons see any form of release in America (note: They're available uncensored in the UK). He says that we shouldn't expect the set until 2014 at the least. I'm not holding my breath for a complete set.

Insert rant here...

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Speaking of home media, on October 15th, the surprisingly very good and well-written Disney Channel animated series Gravity Falls will be hitting some form of home media... Unfortunately, it's a DVD-only release with six episodes. "Six Strange Tales"... Yeah, because we can't have our full season just yet. Or ever, maybe... Given Disney's track record when it comes to these things.

If Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network can give us the full seasons of shows like Adventure Time and Regular Show, Disney can damn well do the same for Gravity Falls. Heck, where are the full season sets for Phineas and Ferb?! What they're failing to realize is that like those two Cartoon Network shows, Gravity Falls has a teenaged and adult fanbase that makes it very successful. People would also scoop up a season boxset of Phineas and Ferb, from families to fans to many others. However, it is possible that this is a set geared towards the kids and that they're saving the goods for the fans. (Making this show an exception to their TV shows on home media business model.)

Well, maybe. Here's hoping they do the same for TRON: Uprising, since they did a good job sending that show to the grave. At least Blu-ray sales or the fact that it's on Netflix could gain the series new fans... Though the third TRON film doesn't seem to be a go anytime soon. Director Joseph Kosinski has signed on to direct The Twilight Zone movie. Looks like that franchise is slowing down once again...

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Animated Views recently interviewed Jimmy Hayward and Aron Warner. Hayward, as you may know, is the director of Reel FX Creative Studios' debut theatrical feature-length animated film Free Birds (formerly known as Turkeys), which will hit theaters on November 1st. Warner is a big-time producer, and he's well-known for producing the Shrek films, as Free Birds' fun trailer mentions.

Hayward talked about some of its production history, and also said that the film's plot is "all in good fun" and that they aren't trying to send some PETA-esque "don't eat turkey" message. (Phew!) He also explained the title change, saying that they wanted something that would have international appeal. Then he also explained the release date change, the movie was pretty much in the can last summer and November 2014 was too much of a family film mine (Big Hero 6, Home, Night at the Museum 3, etc.)

Warner talked about Reel FX's plans, things I speculated about months ago. I'm in support of this studio because they've got risky things planned for the future (Hayward himself elaborated on that), and they also plan on spending reasonable budgets on their films. Hmmmm, maybe other studios should follow suit, yes? For the record, Free Birds has pretty good-looking animation if you ask me. See, I like this idea. Lower budgets mean greater risks can be taken, LAIKA and Aardman don't thrive for nothing.

He also mentioned a few things about Jorge Guiterrez's Book of Life...

"The movie is unlike any computer animated film I’ve ever seen. It looks different; it feels different; it sounds different. It’s definitely Jorge’s – it is so much a project from this guy’s heart."

Now see? That's what studios should be doing, making lower budget films that take some major-league creative risks. Book of Life might just change the industry if Free Birds is a hit, and prove that good computer animation can be done for less than $100 million and it doesn't have to come from someone like Disney, Pixar or DreamWorks. Again, Free Birds looks fun despite some formulaic elements, but it's a safer film for a reason. It's the debut, it's the kick-off feature. Safe film first, risks later!

No word on Beasts of Burden, though...

~

What do you think of Reel FX? Do you think the studio has a lot of potential? Do you anticipate what they have to offer? Do you think Disney will eventually give us season box sets of shows like Gravity Falls, Phineas and Ferb and TRON: Uprising? Do you think Warner Home Video will triumph over the legal department? Or will they lose and all we'll end up getting is a censored set? Do you think DreamWorks and Fox moving How To Train Your Dragon 2 up a week was a good idea, or not?

Sound off below!

Branching Out on Blu

In a rather strange move, Disney's home entertainment division announced that two titles that are hitting stores on November 5th... But they aren't full-length features!

That's right... A featurette and a cash grab holiday special assembled from a television episode and other footage.

According to DVDizzy, Mickey's Christmas Carol will come with two other cartoons that are currently unspecified. My guess is that The Small One will be one of the two, being a holiday-themed roughly half hour-long short subject. Coincidentally, both films were products from the then-young turks at the Disney studio. Don Bluth worked on The Small One - which was released in 1978 to accompany the holiday re-release of Pinocchio - one of the last projects he completed work on at the Disney studio before leaving in 1979. Mickey's Christmas Carol was another safe project for the animators, as the executives weren't willing to let them tackle the likes of a big budget Snow White-type epic - something like The Black Cauldron - just yet.

Though it may be criticized for being a watered down version of the classic story, I always thought it was a good short. I particularly liked the surprise appearances of characters from some of the classics, including the package features. I'll happily pick it up. If the Blu-ray contains The Small One, what else will it contain? Supposedly the main feature runs 95 minutes, and that's 52 minutes down so... I'm guessing a package of Christmas Mickey short subjects (Cartoon Classics-style) or maybe a special from the 90s or something... Can't really guess at the moment.

A Very Merry Pooh Year was a 2002 special cobbled together from "Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too" (a special from the New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh television series that ran from 1988 to 1991) and newly-created animation... All I can say is this: Does this really warrant a Blu-ray release? Why can't Disney just do the right thing and release the entire first season of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh on Blu-ray... Oh, and while they're at it, seasons for every Disney Afternoon cartoon. Consumers may not demand it, but many other folks do! Plus, if they forget the special and just release seasons of New Adventures, parents will snatch them up for their tykes. Heck, even Pooh's Grand Adventure is more deserving of a Blu-ray release than this!

Anyways, if Disney is willing to release short subjects and specials on Blu-ray as standalone titles, then what could they possibly churn out next year? Cartoon compilations, maybe? More shorts? What do you think?

P.S. - I saw Monsters University yesterday and I thought it was very, very good... Review should be up soon, but I'd prefer if I gave it another watch... Until then, stay tooned!

[UPDATE] Four In August

A few weeks ago, Disney quietly put it out there that Oliver & Company was coming to Blu-ray on August 6th, which was almost in line with some predictions I made a while ago. Since Oliver was one of those Disney animated films released on DVD only between 2009 and 2010, I figured it would get a release sometime this year since Pete's Dragon and The Great Mouse Detective got Blu-ray releases last year that were essentially upgrades of their previous DVD editions with the same cover artwork and edition names to boot. Also, Oliver turns 25.

Oliver & Company, in my eyes, certainly isn't one of Disney's better animated classics though it's an important one. It was a safe way for Disney to regain their audience after the suits had seen how well Don Bluth's An American Tail did at the box office two years earlier. That very film was a record breaker for the animation industry, and it was released at a time when the higher ups didn't see much of a future for Disney's feature animation (imagine that!) despite Roy E. Disney's insistence to keep the studio afloat. It appealed to audiences back in 1988, as it had attitude, 80s pop music-styled songs and a rather grungy animation style. Nowadays it's a fun watch, but definitely not all there in the story department and a lot of it is forgettable aside from the good songs. Its record-breaking success at the domestic box office enabled the studio to keep going.

So with its August 6th release date, I figured that Disney would put two or three more titles out on the same day since they've picked up this new routine where they'll release multiple classics on the same day. This started in August 2012 with The Aristocats, the Rescuers films and Pocahontas alongside other titles. Disney repeated this two months ago with the releases of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan and Brother Bear. A week earlier, the non-canon Who Framed Roger Rabbit hit Blu-ray.

Now, Disney has announced that The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh will be hitting Blu-ray, but not on August 6th... But rather August 27th. I would've assumed that it would hit store the same day as Oliver, but it looks like Disney is willing to release multiple classics the same month but not on the same day. The Digital Bits also report that Robin Hood is being prepared for a Blu-ray release here in the states, since the film is turning 40 this autumn and it's already available in other countries. It's possible that Disney will also release The Sword in the Stone on Blu-ray around this time, since that film is turning 50 this year and it's so similar to Robin Hood in many ways.

That being said, those two, Oliver and Winnie would round off a strong August. Bedknobs and Broomsticks and The Black Cauldron are the last two post-2008 DVD only releases that are due for a Blu-ray release, so we may end up seeing those two in October. It would be perfect for Cauldron too, since Disney seems to like promoting that film as a Halloween film as evidenced by the 2000 and 2010 DVD releases.

Anyways, I'm glad both of these titles are coming and I hope to hear about any other August Blu-ray titles soon. Updates shall come!

Update! Sword and Robin Confirmed For August 6th!

Disney has confirmed that The Sword in the Stone and Robin Hood have been confirmed for an August 6th release!

The cover for The Sword in the Stone is lovely, fresh and once again... It's simple and great. I also like how the "50th" and "40th" Anniversary headers are great because they don't use some generic fountain, instead they're stylized to look like the middle ages... Goes perfectly with the settings of both films. Disney didn't seem to bother creating brand new artwork for Robin Hood, instead modifying the cover used for the 2006 Most Wanted Edition DVD.

Either way, I'm excited to pick up all four of them in a couple of months!

A Suggestion to Disney Home Entertainment

Next week, fans and consumers will be able to own three Disney animated films on Blu-ray for the first time in stunning high definition: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan and Brother Bear. Of course, they are going to be released the same way The Fox and the Hound and Pocahontas were on Blu-ray. They're being packaged with their direct-to-video sequels and each release will be billed as a "2 Movie Collection".

Of course, you all know how I feel about this business model for the not-so-successful Disney animated films. People are split. Lots of fans are fine with this and will buy the sets no matter what. Other fans refuse to purchase the titles because they feel that including the direct-to-video sequel cheapens the importance of the original and is overall insulting. I won't go any further, because I've already ranted about this time and time again.

I don't speak for the majority of Disney fans. Again, they have their purchasing preferences, as I am no different. However, I think what should be done could work for both fans and those who want to own the direct-to-video sequels alongside the originals. I understand that parents buy these sets up for their kids, and having the sequel on there is convenient for them. However, many fans object to the idea of Disney putting it on the same set (and same disc) as the original. Right now, this way of releasing these films on Blu-ray has Disney fans divided. Rightfully so, if you ask me.

So here's my ultimate suggestion to Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment...

A) Release [insert film here] on its own. No sequel included. Instead, pack this release with all the bonus features you can afford or port from earlier editions. Give it a nice slipcover, include a DVD copy as always, and sell it for the usual price. Make it no different from your typical home media release of a Disney animated film.

B) Release a double pack of [insert film here] and its direct-to-video sequel. But this time, don't put many bonus features on it. Put very little on there. The set should also include the 2 DVDs for both the original and the sequel. Also, don't give it any snazzy packaging. No slipcover is necessary. Sell it like one of those budget Blu-ray releases; you know - the ones that have two or three movies on them and are called "Double Feature" or "Double Pack". They also usually have decent packaging, nothing crazy. That way, you can sell it for a very good price and satisfy consumers.

If Disney does that with every other non-Diamond Edition animated feature that happens to have a direct-to-video sequel, then it will be a win-win situation for everyone. Fans can own the original on its own complete with bonuses, while parents and consumers looking for a great value can buy the budget "double feature" release.

In all honesty, I believe this would be the best of both worlds for fans and those who are buying these films on Blu-ray.

More Diamond Confusion

Those who have gotten their hands on the upcoming Diamond Edition of Peter Pan have confirmed that the Spring 2014 Diamond Edition will be The Jungle Book. Oddly enough, the UK and most of Europe are getting both The Jungle Book and The Little Mermaid as Diamond Editions this autumn. Certainly some strange changes have been going on with Disney's home entertainment division, that's for sure.

Last year, we found out that titles such as Pinocchio and One Hundred and One Dalmatians were dropped from the Diamond line in various countries. Whatever the reason, be it sales or Disney's desire to quickly phase the line out, it came as a shock. The Platinum/Diamond collection consist of Disney's best-selling films, so sales might have to do with something. Not much is known, but it is strange nonetheless. Disney fans are certainly trying to make heads or tails of the situation.

So I have a question: What will be the Autumn 2014 Diamond Edition? Aladdin or One Hundred and One Dalmatians?

Disney only has four titles left to issue as Diamond Editions: Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians and Aladdin. Dalmatians and Aladdin have never been released on Blu-ray before. Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty have, when the line was still the Platinum Edition collection. Both Blu-ray releases were excellent, so will they be re-issued as is but with the Diamond moniker? Maybe. Maybe not.

I have a feeling that Aladdin will be the fall 2014 title. Why? Well, Disney has proudly announced that a Broadway musical adaptation of the 1992 film is coming in spring 2014. With that, I and many others assumed that Aladdin would be released to coincide with the play. Well, now that The Jungle Book is confirmed for Spring 2014, then my best guess is that Aladdin will hit stores in autumn 2014. That would be ten years after its last home media release, the Platinum Edition DVD.

It would also be perfect because it could follow a 3D theatrical re-release.

Now I am well aware that Disney (wrongly) cancelled the 3D theatrical re-release of The Little Mermaid, which would precede its Blu-ray release this autumn. Now it's quietly being suggested that Disney didn't outright scrap the re-release, but instead they are going to release it another time. The Little Mermaid in 3D had some pretty tough 3D competition ahead of it. Family-friendly competition: The 3D re-release of Attack of the Clones and Sony Animation's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. Now if Disney were smart, they'd give it an August release, maybe a few weeks after Planes. But there's the other frustrating thing; Disney gave that direct-to-video film a theatrical release. If Planes wasn't on track for an August 2013 release, I think Mermaid would've occupied that slot.

The Little Mermaid 3D, if released, would be very successful. It would possibly rival the gross that The Lion King 3D took in. Why? The Little Mermaid has been in the vault for a while; whereas Beauty and the Beast was readily available on home media when the 3D re-release came out. Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc. went out of print shortly before the re-releases, so there was probably no rush to see those two films in theaters. Plus, I think people wanted to see the classics on the big screen, not the Pixar films. That's not a jab at Pixar; I loved the 3D in Finding Nemo. But I think audiences wanted to see something like Mermaid or Aladdin or maybe something like Cinderella in theaters.

If anything, Disney should not be so quick to cancel the theatrical re-release. There's still an opportunity for them in an August 2013 release. It may be cut off of by Planes, but it'll have the first weeks of September all to itself. I'd personally prefer if Disney scrapped the theatrical release of Planes, but we know that's not going to happen. So it looks like Mermaid 3D is done for.

Disney could do that with Aladdin in September 2014, but since they scrapped Mermaid 3D, I have a feeling that they have lost faith in 3D rereleases.

So if Aladdin comes in fall 2014, that means we have to wait to spring 2015 for One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Or vice versa. The film is available in Europe on Blu-ray, and has been since this past autumn. It's no longer a Diamond title there, so it was given a release already, ditto Peter Pan. That's the only thing... I don't want to have to wait until 2015 for Dalmatians.

Disney probably wouldn't release two Diamonds at the same time here in the states, though they are apparently content with doing so in Europe. Again, The Jungle Book and The Little Mermaid debut on the format over there in the fall. After that, there are no more titles. Aladdin might not be in the Diamond line in Europe anymore. Australia, France, Germany and the United Arab Emirates get it in the spring as a stand-alone release. The UK must be getting it soon, too, I assume. They appear to have no spring 2013 Diamond Edition, but there's no signs showing that Aladdin is a Diamond over there.

Here's another theory: What if Disney all of a sudden just drops Aladdin from the Diamond collection here and releases it on Blu-ray this year? The demand is pretty damn high, and the film remains popular. It's always on ABC Family a lot for some reason, too. Also, if they give it a release sometime this year, it'll be a great way to promote the upcoming Broadway musical. That could really pay off. Just remove that damn Diamond label, keep the boatloads of bonus features, make a prestigious release and release it as a "Special Edition" of sorts. That way, Disney can plug the play while also satisfying those who really want the film on Blu-ray.

If they don't, we'll have to wait till 2015 for the last Diamond (that's not on Blu) to show up. If one title was dropped, Disney could finish the line ahead of schedule. Heck, they could even drop Dalmatians and give that a prestigious release while ending the line with The Jungle Book. Quicker too, because, will Blu-ray still be a choice format in 2015?

Rant: Where's That Other Disc?

Every time a Pixar film comes to Blu-ray, it gets the best possible treatment. On the first disc, aside from the main attraction, you'll get a few bonus features. Not just a commentary, but some featurettes and a few short films to top it off. Disc two? Tons and tons of bonus features about the story, production process, casting and almost everything else. The films get sets that are filled to the brim with bonus features.

Now, what about the recent films from the rejuvenated Walt Disney Animation Studios? All of them have one-disc sets with a minimal amount of features. That's right. One-disc sets with less bonus features, and ones that aren't extensive or detailed as much as the Pixar ones.

To start off: Meet The Robinsons can be excused, because Pixar's Ratatouille had a one-disc Blu-ray that year as well. Ratatouille's Blu-ray had just a few more bonus features than its DVD counterpart. The same happened with Cars' DVD debut, and its subsequent Blu-ray release isn't loaded either. Both sets have a satisfying amount of bonus features, particularly the brilliant Cine-Explore commentaries. Pixar returned to the two-disc set routine with WALL-E and the films that followed have two-disc sets, even the derided Cars 2.

Now that Pixar returned to that format and Walt Disney Animation Studios was getting back on track, you'd think that their 2008 release Bolt would have a good amount of bonus features. Right? The Blu-ray appeared in early 2009; only one disc. No second disc with more bonus features. What was on the disc? A few brief featurettes, some of which that focused on Miley Cyrus' minimal role in the film and its production. There's an also an art gallery on there, but that's about it really.

No commentary from directors Chris Williams and Byron Howard, or anything else. No mention of what the film used to be, or any other behind-the-scenes featurettes. Now I understand one thing: We all know that Bolt was a retooled, heavily simplified reworking of a Chris Sanders film called American Dog. We all know that John Lasseter and Sanders had their differences and Sanders ultimately left Disney. I'm not expecting them to go in-depth with American Dog, because let's face it; Disney doesn't like mentioning those dodgy production stories on the bonus features of their films' home media releases.

This is why I suspect something like The Rescuers or The Fox and the Hound usually doesn't come with tons of bonus features. You know me, I'd love Disney to come clean with these stories and just present them in an honest manner. Fallouts and differences happen during production of animated films; just look at Pixar's recent film Brave. That's something that's going to be mentioned in books and websites outside of the home media releases.

That being said, Bolt could've used a little more bonus material and perhaps a mention of American Dog or some kind of allusion to it. Disney shouldn't ignore it completely, but they probably wouldn't get into it out of respect for Chris Sanders. They're not in the business of publicly blacklisting their ex-employees-turned-competitors.

Then along came the Blu-ray of The Princess and the Frog. Now this was an improvement!

Despite having one disc, it had an audio commentary, a cool picture-in-picture track with the rough cut elements in addition to having featurettes, deleted scenes, art galleries and other things. It didn't have too much; but it was a respectable amount for a Disney animated film on home media. It's a good Blu-ray release.

Now this film was no box office blockbuster, but Disney still gave the set some care. With that, you'd think that box office superstar Tangled would get a set that was just as packed if not bigger. Think again.

Tangled's Blu-ray was a frustrating release at best. There are less bonus features on the disc than what was on Bolt! Here's Disney's biggest film since the Renaissance and a critical hit, but with a few bonus features. What do we have? Deleted scenes. Check. A few quick featurettes? Check. Anything else? Errr... Extended songs. Okay... The 50 Disney Animated Features countdown. Nice I guess, but that was on Walt Disney Animation Studios' official YouTube before the film hit theaters. Teasers for the film. Umm...

Yes. This set was lacking. Tons of Disney fans wondered why, too. Where was all the material concerning the various incarnations of the Rapunzel project? Why no featurette about the groundbreaking painterly art style? Surely that alone deserves a small mini-documentary, no? Not much on Alan Menken's songs either or the music in general. Yeah, it's kind of empty.

Now that's a dreadful cover.

Winnie the Pooh was a minor, cheap effort that probably didn't warrant a boatload of bonuses. The Blu-ray is given an okay amount of bonus materials: A featurette, some deleted scenes and the short (The Ballad of Nessie) that was attached to the film.

But... If this was such a passionate return to what made Walt Disney's Winnie the Pooh work so well, why not have some more material focusing on the production? Maybe I'm asking too much, but if the cash-grab Cars 2 could get a second disc focusing on small little things, this could as well.

Now I thought that the whole Tangled deal would be a one-time thing, and as some had suggested, it was just a way to get us to double-dip for a future release. Of course, it's a smart marketing strategy. Disney did it before. When DVD first came about, then-current films like Tarzan and The Emperor's New Groove were given one-disc sets with a few bonus features. Then Disney would release big Collector's Edition sets not too long afterwards. That strategy paid off, so maybe in 2014 or 2015, they'll give us a two-disc set of Tangled. Or maybe not.

Disney seems content with not producing extensive bonus features for the Blu-rays of their own animated films. I don't know if they are only trying to get people to double-dip, or that they just don't care. My money's on the latter, given Disney's treatment of some of their animated films on home media as of late.

Wreck-It Ralph comes to Blu-ray on March 5th, and the details that Disney revealed don't inspire much confidence. It looks like the usual: A few quick featurettes, deleted scenes, a short and one other thing. Nothing big or extensive, no art galleries even! Wreck-It Ralph, much like Bolt, Frog and Tangled, went through several incarnations and the finished project itself warrants a lot of meaty, detailed featurettes. Some "Ultimate Collector's Edition" this will be...

From where I stand, it looks as if Disney tailor-made the Pixar Blu-ray sets for animation fans and aficionados while making the Disney Animation Blu-ray releases for the general consumer at best. But why? The current Walt Disney Animation Studios films are more than just good and I think they deserve big sets full of features. Animation nuts like myself want to see this stuff, and I feel that Disney is making their own work seem less important.

Again, I may be wrong three years later and Disney will release big, packed special editions of the last five films Disney Animation has produced. That is, if physical media is still a dominant format. The question is: If Disney will make us double-dip, then why do they make an exception for Pixar? You'd think that they'd do it for their films too since they are typically more successful at the box office.

Do you think Disney gives their recent animated films that short end of the stick when it comes to Blu-ray? Do you think they can do better? Or are you okay with the sets that have been given to us? Sound off!

Return to the Jungle?

Given some of the talk on Blu-ray.com's forums and the BBFC's recent classification of a trailer, it appears that The Jungle Book will be getting the Diamond Edition treatment sometime soon!

The Jungle Book, despite many warts in the story, is a personal favorite of mine and the Platinum Edition DVD from 2007 certainly did the title justice in the bonus features department. The aspect ratio choice was questionable, leaving a lot of fans who were used to previous versions (presented in 1.33:1) upset. My biggest problem with the DVD was the audio mix that was created for it; a few pieces of the score were missing for some strange reason. It's no different from the missing "Right!" that Jiminy Cricket shouts on the Platinum Edition of Pinocchio.

The question is, of course, when will it come out?

Personally, I'm thinking early 2014. With The Little Mermaid still on track for a fall 2013 release, this seems like the logical choice for that release slot. The classification says it's a Diamond Edition in the UK, so we know that it hasn't been dropped from the line over there unlike Peter Pan and One Hundred and One Dalmatians. UK Diamond Editions always come out around the same time as the US ones, so it won't be a case where Europe gets it months before we do. But... Here's one thing? Why has the trailer been approved so early? It almost implies that will come out this year in the UK. What about The Little Mermaid? Is that still a Diamond title in the UK?

What do you think?

3 Out Of The Gate (Make That 4)

Looks like Disney will be releasing more and more of their animated classics on Blu-ray next year! The week after Wreck-It Ralph comes to Blu-ray (March 5th), three Disney animated films will be released!

What are they releasing? The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan and Brother Bear!

Oh... They are being packaged with their crummy direct-to-video sequels. Bummer...

But wait... That may not be... Blu-ray.com has two entries listed for each of the three films: One that's a double pack with the sequel, and one that doesn't come with the sequel. See for yourself.

If that's true, then that means Disney must know that a good amount of their fans really objected to this "package it with the direct-to-video sequel" trend that began last year with the Blu-ray release of The Fox and the Hound. I know I was one of them, and many others were appalled.

Also, look at the cover for The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Notice how it doesn't list the sequel or show any of the characters from that said sequel anywhere on the cover, yet Mulan and Brother Bear's covers do? Why that one only? I guess it could be because the sequel really clashes with the mood and tone of the first film. Maybe, maybe not.

Only time will tell. The trailer and print advertisement for Mulan (which can be found in the Blu-ray set of Finding Nemo) seem to imply that they'll be released separately. If Disney goes through with releasing the film on its own and the double-pack as a separate release, you can call me one happy fan.

Which of these Disney classics will you be buying on Blu-ray?

Update: Atlantis: The Lost Empire has also been confirmed for a March 12th release. Oddly enough, both this film and Brother Bear were initially planned for an autumn release this year, but were quietly removed from the schedule. When they announced the March release of Brother Bear, I was wondering, "Now where's Atlantis?" Lo and behold, it's coming, but again, it'll be a two-movie collection with its awful direct-to-video sequel/failed TV series made into a movie.

The Sequel Problem

Not too long ago, a trailer for the upcoming Blu-ray release of Disney's Mulan has made the waves. Notice anything... Different about it?



The trailer states "Also available - Mulan II", implying that the film's direct to video sequel from 2004 is getting a separate release around the same time.

Disney's home entertainment division has recently been pairing their not-so-successful animated films with their direct-to-video sequels on Blu-ray, without giving consumers a choice to buy the first film on its own. This has angered several Disney fans, including myself, while others don't see the big deal about it. I have ranted about this before, so I'll keep the flames at bay. This trailer does make me wonder though, is Disney going to do away with the bundles? Or are they going us consumers a choice?

Don Hahn's comments on his Facebook have contradicted this, as he confirmed that the upcoming Blu-ray releases of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Atlantis: The Lost Empire will be packaged with the sequels. But... Why would Mulan be an exception? Why would the trailer say "also available"? To me, that says it'll be available separately. If Mulan II was in fact part of the set, wouldn't the trailer excitedly show clips from both and say "Mulan and Mulan II, coming to Disney Blu-ray"?

Mulan and Mushu don't approve of low quality
direct-to-video sequels...

Personally, if they were to axe the sequel bundles, I'd be satisfied. The decision to package The Fox and the Hound and Pocahontas with the dreadful direct to video sequels caused quite a backlash, and rightfully so. Maybe Disney got wind of this? Who knows, but this trailer is very vague about the whole sequel issue. Maybe we'll find out later come next year...

"Wreck-It Ralph" Blu-ray Cover Artwork Revealed!

Well... Not all of the covers, because we all know Disney's deal: There's the standard combo pack, the big loaded one and the DVD-only release. What's the release date? We don't know yet, but given the usual schedule, this Blu-ray will probably hit stores sometime around March.

It seems like Disney is picking up this "Ultimate Collector's Edition" packaging trend with their recent Blu-rays. Brave was the first to sport this label, and the forthcoming Blu-ray releases of Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc. 3D will also be Ultimate Collector's Editions.

That being said, I love this cover and the nice gold border. The main image comes from the international poster, which I believe is one of the best posters alongside the original 8-bit teaser poster. What do you think of it?

Keeping Up With Disney

Yet again another rambling about Disney's home entertainment division and how the Diamond Edition collection is being handled... This will be moot by the time we get another schedule of sorts or announcements, but I figured I'd keep up with what's going on and share some more thoughts... Also, disregard the Diamond Edition babble in this article.

Right now, it's clear that a lot of the European wings of Disney's home entertainment division have dropped three titles from the Diamond Edition collection: Pinocchio, Peter Pan and One Hundred and One Dalmatians. A good friend of mine and one who tracks Disney's home media events who goes by the name Lnds500 (Blu-ray.com / Twitter) and I thought that this meant that Disney was dropping these titles from the Diamond line in every country. I believed this theory, since Disney might want to get the titles out quick if Blu-ray is to be replaced with something like online streaming or something else. (They keep touting All Access for a reason)

One Hundred and One Dalmatians is already available throughout Europe as a "Special Edition", but with all of the bonus features from the 2008 Platinum Edition DVD. Peter Pan is out next month, we're getting it on February 5th as the next Diamond Edition. Before I get the "dropped titles" mumbo jumbo out of the way, I just have one question: When will we get One Hundred and One Dalmatians? Will we have to wait until 2014? Or will it not be released as a Diamond Edition here in the states? Again, it's very odd that Disney dropped it from the Diamond line in other countries and not here. Or maybe they will?

Anyways, after The Little Mermaid debuts in October 2013, here's my guess at what the current line-up will be:

Spring 2014 - One Hundred and One Dalmatians
If it's still a Diamond title, I figure they'd have to get it out sooner. Why make us wait so long when the Blu-ray is already available?

Fall 2014 - Aladdin
Released on home media twice, and in October no less. Some have suggested that Disney may give Aladdin the 3D theatrical re-release treatment before releasing it on Blu-ray. Whenever I talk to others about Disney's 3D re-release plans, I always get "They should do that with Aladdin!" as a response. Since they are converting Mermaid and already did so with Renaissance favorites Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, it does make sense to convert this one too.

Spring 2015 - The Jungle Book
The first time The Jungle Book has been a spring release since its initial home video release in 1991. No anniversary date this year, so it'll be a spring release.

Fall 2015 - Sleeping Beauty
Possible, but Sleeping Beauty already got an excellent Blu-ray release as a Platinum Edition. Since it's still under that Platinum/Diamond banner, it may get an upgrade with more bonuses but it will probably keep the same transfer.

Spring 2016 - Pinocchio
See Sleeping Beauty above. This one should also have the corrected audio error. Disney did send corrected discs to consumers, but this time, it won't have to be this way.

But... What if (and I suggested this before) they were to release two Diamond Edition titles the same day to get them out faster? Since Dalmatians is available, why not release it the same day as Mermaid? The Jungle Book and Aladdin can come out side-by-side in spring 2014 and the last two in fall 2014. That would be easier and quicker. It may go against the grain, but they could do it...

Disney has been rather weird with this line. The Platinum Editions all came out with no re-shuffling or hassle, but this line has had some hiccups along the way. The original press release from September 2009 doesn't include Aladdin but has the Fantasia 2-film collection, because at the time, that was going to be a Diamond Edition. After a while, it was dropped, the "Fantasia World" disc (you can only imagine how disappointed I was when it wasn't on there) also got the ax and the title was released months after its intended release date as a stand-alone set. Aladdin popped up on the insert inside Lady and the Tramp (despite the fact that the film was not on the press release) that normally announces the next two Diamond Editions and it was scheduled to be the Q1 2013 Diamond title, and now it's not going to be that.

Anyways, the real reason I brought this up is because I honestly don't want to wait until spring 2014 or later to get One Hundred and One Dalmatians. I was okay with Disney dropping titles from the line, and was hoping with that, they could get them out quicker and faster but still give them the same prestigious treatment. I'm okay with waiting for Aladdin, because a very good Blu-ray isn't available elsewhere. Then again, Disney has done this before with certain titles. The restored Pinocchio was released as a special edition in the UK in 2003, but we had to wait until 2009 to get it. The 2003 French DVD of The Black Cauldron is another great example, as we had to wait till 2010 to get the version of the film with that transfer on DVD.

I just hope that Disney doesn't pull this with other titles, releasing them overseas and then waiting a year or two to release them stateside. It seems that they will do this with Dalmatians...

Do you think Disney will stick to the regular Platinum/Diamond schedule? Will they drop titles from the US line? Will they change things up a bit? What do you think?

The Original "Black Cauldron": Can It Happen?

This has always been an unfortunate happening in Disney animation history, one that Kevin T. Rodriguez of Examiner brilliantly summed up as a "sore spot" for animation fans in his fantastic article, Top 10 Reasons Criterion Should Get Animated. Animation fans know the story: Jeffrey Katzenberg, new to the Disney company, viewed The Black Cauldron and told the crew to cut ten minutes of the film. He eventually edited out more footage when the crew didn't meet his demands ("I said ten minutes!"), resulting in the removal of 12 minutes in total.

A good chunk of the footage, in question, centered around the film's climax: The Cauldron-Born sequence. The Horned King finally obtains the deadly weapon and uses it to bring life to the skeletons laying around his creepy castle, and form his army of the dead. With that, the skeletons are to bring terror to the land of Prydain. The noticeable edits can heard in the scene where the Horned King's henchmen see something green and misty in the water. One of the henchmen pokes it with a spear and then all of a sudden, a skeleton appears! But then... We cut to two of the henchmen behind the man who pokes the green thing, as that happens, the score skips! Then we see another one looming towards the screen, then three skeletons jumping out of the water and attack the two henchmen offscreen. Then we cut to Taran, Eilonwy and Fflewdurr Fflam, watching in horror. Very, very noticeable.

Over the years, we've seen and heard some different things about the cuts made to this film. Cels of a man melting have appeared, and people who worked at Disney at the time shed some light on what happened. Michael Peraza also offered animation fans an excellent three-part recollection of the film's production history, briefly commenting on a screening that went over disastrously. The original 1985 home video release of Pinocchio also includes an exclusive trailer that has a deleted shot (at approximately 1:05) of the third skeleton that pops out after the henchman pokes the water. The trailer also gives the henchman who ties Fflewdurr up a name, Moose. Did he have a bigger role? Did he have scenes that were cut? Also, Peraza did confirm that the original version of the film exists, and the crew considering using the negative for the film's first VHS release in 1998, but this unfortunately did not happen.

What was cut from the film would take a while to pick apart, since so many sources show so many things from DisneyWar (which mentions Roy E. Disney being disturbed by a shot of a flying creature, presumably a Gwythaint, graphically clutching a boy with his talons and flying away) to interviews with folks who worked on the film. Jeffrey Katzenberg certainly defended his actions whenever he was asked about the film, as he felt that the film should've been for children even though Disney was clearly making this film for the teenage and adult audience.

The last home media release of The Black Cauldron occurred on September 14, 2010 for the film's 25th anniversary. It had a better transfer and a deleted musical number with the Faire Folk. Anything new? No, sadly, except a game or something. No documentary or featurette about the making of the film, or any of the deleted sequences. It was probably just something Disney had to get off their chest, since a better quality version of the film had already been available on DVD in France.

Whenever this film will come to Blu-ray, we don't know. I'm going to say 2015, for the film's 30th anniversary. It's also very possible that it might show up next year, since The Great Mouse Detective is hitting Blu-ray next month, as the previous DVD came out two years ago. Will the Blu-ray of this film come with what we want? Probably not, given Disney's attitude towards animated titles that don't sell as well as their others.

What would make a great Black Cauldron Blu-ray? For starters, the full uncut version. If the original exists on a negative, they can restore this for the Blu-ray release. Second of all, a great Black Cauldron Blu-ray would keep the great bonus features from the first DVD release: The art gallery and the original theatrical trailer. They could also include the trailer from the Pinocchio videocassette, and some TV spots if any of them still exist.

Of course we all know why Disney wouldn't give us the uncut version, since they don't want to offend family audiences. The original version of The Black Cauldron was to have content that was more unsuitable for children than anything seen in the other films, so releasing that would be a no-no for Disney, unless...

They release it as a collector's title, much like a Walt Disney Treasures set. Last year, Warner Bros. released the excellent Tom & Jerry: Golden Collection Volume I, which contained all of the original, unaltered versions of the classic Tom & Jerry shorts that had some jokes in them that aren't acceptable in this day and age. This set came with a warning on both the packaging and the beginning of the disc, one you can't skip, one that explains why the cartoons have that content in them. Perhaps Disney can do this with The Black Cauldron, since the title isn't exactly a "favorite" amongst family audiences or most people other than fans and Disney lovers like myself who want the title just to own it.

Picture this, the uncut version of The Black Cauldron on Blu-ray and DVD, opening with a message that says something like this: "Disney intended to make this animated feature film for the teenage and adult audiences only, aiming for content that would've possibly gotten it a PG-13 rating. The more graphic scenes were edited out of the film, making for a film that was more suitable for family audiences. The version of the film contained on this disc is the original version that the studio set out to make. IT IS NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES."

If Disney can't find archive footage for a behind-the-scenes featurette, they could at least provide the entire story via production notes and also reveal things we don't know of the film's production history. More on the early work done for the film in 1970s before it took off. There's a lot of things they could do for a behind-the-scenes feature.

A lot of us don't want the eventual Blu-ray release of this film to be a hack-job. The recent The Rescuers Blu-ray is really lacking in bonus materials, as is the Blu-ray of The Fox and the Hound and the DVD release that preceded it. As I've said in my previous article, the not-so-successful Disney films deserve more attention and care for the home video releases. Each Disney film has a cool production history behind it, why hide that? Disney wasn't afraid of explaining production complications on other DVD and Blu-ray releases of their classics, though they did tend to brush over them from time to time, sugarcoating things. A Black Cauldron behind-the-scenes documentary would be nice, one that has no problem criticizing the decisions made at the time.

That's my ideal Black Cauldron Blu-ray. What would you like to see on the next home media release of this film?

The Future of Disney Home Media

Diamonds

During the early days of DVD, Disney tried their hand at releasing some of their animated classics on the format. These releases, known as the "Limited Issues", weren't impressive. A lot of them had questionable picture quality, and lacked bonus features. Some DVDs would contain at least one or two, others would be bare bones. Of course, this has always been Disney's strategy, dating back to days of LaserDisc: Bare bones release first, then a packed collector's edition with a lot of bonus features afterwards. They did this with titles like Tarzan and The Emperor's New Groove. The Gold Classic Collection DVD releases came along in 2000, many of these titles boasted a good amount of bonus material. Their VHS counterparts even had a few. (Fun & Fancy Free and Alice in Wonderland, for example.)

Of course, as we all know, Disney created a prestigious line for their best-selling, most popular animated films. This would be the Platinum Edition collection, which continued this trend of saving certain titles for one particular line. It continues today with its successor, the Diamond Edition collection, which picked up right after the Platinum Edition collection capped off with the 2009 Blu-ray and DVD release of Pinocchio.

According to a fellow Disney enthusiast named Lnds500 (Twitter / Blu-ray.com profile), Disney Germany verified that two titles, Pinocchio and One Hundred and One Dalmatians, have been dropped from the line. Oddly enough, being out of print since 2010, Dalmatians is returning to Blu-ray in Europe. The UK gets it in a few days and it's already available in Italy as a "Special Edition". Peter Pan is hitting Blu-ray in France in November, so it's possible that title has been dropped as well. This means that we may get these films on Blu-ray next year.

Now why would Disney drop titles from the Diamond Edition collection? Lnds500 suggested to me that Disney might not be sure if Blu-ray will still be the dominant home media format by 2016 or so. If Disney were to do the Platinum Edition two-a-year-plan each year out, the final title would street in 2016. Perhaps Disney is dropping them so they can release them on the format sooner without having to wait. That being said, will the sets be the same? Will these films get the same treatment they got with their previous releases? Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland, two non-Diamond titles, got excellent treatment for the Blu-ray debuts. Disney shouldn't change anything for the forthcoming Blu-ray releases of the dropped titles, unless if they have new bonus features to provide, which would be lovely.

Personally, I would actually prefer it if Disney stopped the Diamond Edition collection altogether and just simply gave great treatment to all of their animated classics. In reality, every Disney animated classic, even the weaker ones, still deserve a great set with great transfers, great bonus features and a lot of material to satisfy everyone. Unfortunately, they seem to be going backwards with some releases. The Fox and the Hound and Pocahontas, being titles that haven't sold as much over the past few years, were packaged with the direct-to-video sequels. This garnered mixed reactions, some may not mind that the cheap sequels are on there. Others, such as myself, would prefer to buy the original on its own. Honestly, I just don't like the idea of a Disney classic sharing cover space with the low budget, direct to video sequel that only existed to just cash in. It just feels cheap to me, because the sequels are not even any good to begin with.

If Disney simply put a sticker on the cover saying "Also includes [insert DTV sequel here]", I would actually be fine with that. I try not to be picky when it comes to this, but the direct-to-video films are an unfortunate part of Disney history. John Lasseter wanted to halt them for a good reason. (Though Tink and Planes slipped through the cracks. Compromise I guess...) I think they should give us fans a choice, but I guess I'm asking too much. The other problem is that the film shares the disc with the sequel, whereas that disc could be loaded with great bonus features and whatnot instead of the sequel. Disney curiously leaves out bonus materials from past DVDs and LaserDiscs for their Blu-ray releases and such, so that seems like I'm asking too much out of them. I guess Disney history books are your friends if you're looking to dive into the production histories of certain Disney animated films.

Back to the whole "ending the Diamond line" thing... In the early days of Disney's home video division, the animated films were released under one banner and that was it. From 1984 to 1994, it was The Classics. From 1994 to 1999, it was the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection. Both lines had titles that you could arguably call misfires (Robin Hood, Pocahontas). Even some titles in the Platinum/Diamond lines aren't Disney's best. Again, that line was created for the most popular Disney films that are generally well-liked by critics. But it shouldn't be like that, I believe. Why not just do away with labels? Instead of using labels like "Classics" or "Masterpieces", just call it the "Disney Animated Library" or something like that. Or how about no brand at all? So all live action and animated releases will just be on their own, no "this or that" edition or whatever.

What's The Rush?

The Fox and the Hound's Blu-ray release, which I didn't buy for personal reasons (which you know of), apparently had a very weak transfer for a Disney animated classic on Blu-ray. Home on the Range's recent Blu-ray was also said to be unspectacular. Treasure Planet had some noise that I couldn't get around at times, but for the most part, the transfers have been good. This year, Disney released a boatload of titles. A lot of the live action releases are said to be a mixed bag, with transfers ranging from passable to even downright bad.

But why? Is Disney simply just throwing these titles out there? Of course, this has been the thing with the DVDs as well. Lesser live action titles often got crumby transfers, while the most well-known titles got the goods. Now I've been noticing that Disney has been behind with bonus features, even on the Diamond Editions. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Beauty and the Beast, the first Diamond Editions, were loaded 2-disc sets. Bambi? Most of the good stuff was on Second Screen, which is great if you have an iPad. Using it from a laptop while watching, I believe, is a lot more tedious. The Lion King was no different. Personally, I miss the days where you could just sit down and watch the bonus features from TV. Not using another device, though the apps are very cool.

In 2013, we'll probably see a lot more Disney films on Blu-ray, but I don't want to see the quality be compromised. It was odd to see poor transfers for a few of the animated films (Home on the Range was done digitally, making it even stranger), but Disney shouldn't just give other films the short end of the stick. Like I said, I also don't want Disney to take the "less successful" animated films and pair them up with the DTV sequel. Take The Hunchback of Notre Dame for example, a very dark departure for Disney. Package that with the kid-friendly, not-so-dark, poorly animated sequel that was only made to make bank... It just isn't right, if you ask me. I don't know who thought this was a good idea, but I think it's just another way for Disney to quickly release what they have out there.

Conclusion

While not every single film the Disney company has put out over the past seventy years should look perfect on Blu-ray (unrealistic expectation), they could still at least put effort into certain titles. The Blu-ray releases of films like The Color of Money show that Disney will just simply release a title without putting much thought into how it's going to look. This isn't the DVD era anymore, and with Blu-ray's sharp image, poor quality image won't cut it. Less-than-stellar work on the animated films won't cut it either.

That being said, Disney is probably going to release tons of titles next year since other studios are racing to do this as well. At the same time, I just hope the right titles get the right treatment.